About Our Program

History of Our Program

Why does Oregon need a Regional Medical School Campus? It is very clear that there will be a physician shortage in Oregon and nationally in the next 15 years. As with many professions, physicians are getting older, some are retiring earlier, and the population is aging and will be living longer with chronic conditions, therefore creating a need for more medical services. There is also a mal-distribution of physicians practicing in Oregon, with the majority of physicians practicing in urban communities. It is hoped that expanding the medical school training outside of Portland will encourage students to consider practicing in other parts of the state and encourage students from more rural areas to enter the medical field.

A Physician’s Educational Journey

A Medical Student: Has received an undergraduate degree and has successfully completed entrance exams (MCAT) to an accredited School of Medicine. A medical student must complete four years of medical school before they receive their Medical Doctorate.

Year four: Clerkships in Surgery, Pediatrics, Neurology, ICU, and Medicine, along with clinical electives.

A Resident Physician: Is an MD physician in the first three to five years post-medical school who are receiving additional training in a specialty area. A first-year resident is typically referred to as an Intern.

A Fellow: Is an MD physician, has completed medical school and a residency training program (board-certified or board-eligible), and is now completing a one to two year program in sub-specialization (e.g., Cardiology, GI, Geriatrics, surgery subspecialty, etc.)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is the medical school (Oregon Health & Science University) expanding to Eugene/Springfield and Lane County?

It is very clear that there will be a physician shortage in Oregon and nationally in the next 15 years. As with many professions, physicians are getting older, some are retiring earlier, and the population is aging and will be living longer with chronic conditions, therefore creating a need for more medical services. In the two years ending December 2006, over 1,200 physicians left practice in the state of Oregon. In that same period of time, OHSU trained only 200 medical students

We know from tracking data that 55% of the students and residents trained in this state will reside and practice here. Oregon has been a major importer of physicians in the past, but the future tells us that the states that have been producing physicians for Oregon will also experience shortages.

Medical schools across the country are being asked to increase their enrollment by as much as 30% over the next 15 years. As OHSU expands its medical school class, it does not have the capacity to train the increased number of students at the current OHSU campus and in the Portland community.

There is also a mal-distribution of physicians practicing in Oregon with the majority of physicians practicing in urban communities. It is hoped that expanding the medical school training outside of Portland will encourage students to consider practicing in other parts of the state and encourage students from more rural areas to enter the medical field.

What is a medical student?

A medical student has completed an undergraduate bachelor’s degree and will spend four years in a medical school. The first two years are spent studying the basic sciences and getting their first exposure to the issues and skills needed to be a physician. The third and fourth years involve rotating through the various clinical experiences under the guidance of an attending faculty physician.

Fourth-year student clerkships are four weeks long and are a combination of electives and required clerkships (e.g., Ambulatory Pediatrics, Neurology, Medicine Sub-Internship)

After successfully completing these courses and passing national board exams, the student is given an MD degree. They then enter a residency training program in a specialty area for another three to five years of training.

How many medical students will be coming to Lane County from OHSU?

Since the program began in 2006, over 600 students have come to our Regional Medical Campus for training. At any given time, 10 to 16 students are here, with an average of about 110 students coming here each academic year.

Do medical students come from places other than OHSU?

Occasionally a fourth year medical student or DO student who has ties to the Eugene area will contact a physician in our area and ask if they can do an elective rotation here. These students will go through OHSU for their application process and then OHSU will place them in our area through the Center for Medical Education & Research.

What is the Center for Medical Education & Research at Sacred Heart Medical Center?

In August 2006, the PeaceHealth Oregon Region Board of Directors approved a business plan to form this new department. Its aim is to provide the infrastructure to support students and faculty participating in ORMED. At the present time there is an Administrative Director, Medical Director and Administrative Assistant to support this program. Additionally, an oversight group of Sacred Heart Medical Center physician leaders from Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Emergency Dept, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and OB/Gyn are meeting monthly as Course Directors for this program. The CMER staff is working closely with the Healthcare Improvement Division (HID), the Community Health Record (CHR), Learning & Development, SHMC Med Staff Office, Human Resources, PeaceHealth Medical Group (PHMG), and South Lane Medical Group (SLMG) to address the many issues that arise when developing a new program.

How is the Center for Medical Education & Research being funded?

There are no funds coming from the PeaceHealth operating budget for this program. Funding is all coming from foundation grants.

In 2005 the OHSU School of Medicine received a $1.5 million grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation to support program development for the Eugene initiative and the regionalization of medical education through a collaborative process. This grant provides essential support, enabling all partners to establish a unique education collaborative dedicated to meeting the health care needs of Oregon’s citizens. OHSU has provided PeaceHealth with a portion of this grant to build the infrastructure of the program.

In addition to this grant, the PeaceHealth Foundation has provided significant funding for operations of the Center and will continue to explore additional grant and endowment opportunities.

Glossary

Medical Student: Has an undergraduate degree and has successfully completed entrance exams (MCATS) to an accredited School of Medicine. A medical student must complete four years of medical school before they receive their Medical Doctorate.

Resident Physician: Is an MD physician in the first three to five years post-medical school who is receiving additional training in a specialty area.

Fellow: Is an MD physician, has completed medical school and a residency training program (board-certified or board-eligible), and is now completing a one to two year program in sub-specialization (e.g., Cardiology, GI, Geriatrics, surgery subspecialty, etc.).

Attending Physician: Is a Member of the SHMC or Cottage Grove Community Hospital medical staff and has agreed to serve as faculty for the third and fourth year medical students. Attending physicians will have a student for a four or five week rotation anywhere from one to eight times per academic year.

Preceptor Physician: Is a Member of the SHMC or Cottage Grove Community Hospital medical staff who has agreed to serve as a clinician educator and provides an occasional teaching and mentoring role to the students.

Clerkship: Sometimes used interchangeably with “rotation,” these are four to five week clinical experiences for third and fourth year rotations that each medical student must complete in a particular medical specialty. Third year students must complete eight, five-week clerkships and fourth year students must complete 12, four-week clerkships.